Sri Maha Bodhi Tree (Anuradhapura) Sri Maha Bodhi (also called Jaya Sri Maha Bodhiya ) is a sacred fig tree ( Ficus religiosa ) growing in the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. The tree is believed to have grown from the southern branch of the original Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya which provided shade to the Buddha for attaining Buddhahood (Nicholas, 1963). It was brought to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century B.C. by Sangamitta Theri, the founder of the Bhikkuni (Buddhist nuns) order in Sri Lanka (Nicholas, 1963). The tree is considered to be the oldest historical living tree in the world (De Silva, 2004; Ferrer-Gallego et al., 2016; Karunaratne, 1998).
Presently, the Bodhi-tree site is not only a place of worship but a terrain proclaimed by the Archaeological Department as a protected territory (Wijesuriya & Weerasekera, 1997). History
As described in several ancient chronicles such as Dipavamsa, Mahawamsa [(ch. xviii-xix) Geiger, 1986] and Samantapasadika, Sangamitta Theri, the daughter of Emperor Asoka (c.268-232 B.C.…
